20260329 77th Śrī Vyāsa-pūjā Address

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-gurun dina tāriṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Jayapatākā Swami: I am very grateful for the members of the Gauḍīya Maṭha for being here. I will speak in Bengali and English. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda desired that all of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s disciples and granddisciples will unitedly and collectively will take forward the preaching of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Today is a very special day. I am very grateful that all the devotees have gathered together. Yesterday, I said that how the spiritual master has the responsibility to take his disciples back home back to Godhead. I can do that, but you have to follow me. So I am thinking every day how my disciples can be delivered! So, I send out messages regularly my Jayapatākā Swami App and other things. So this way, I reach out to my disciples and well-wishers throughout the world. I want all my disciples as far as possible, to take the second initiation. But they have to be qualified. So although I am saying many times, somehow it is not being done. So, every day I read from the scriptures. I found a verse which says that if we should chant 108 times at tri-sandhyā, and we can go back to Godhead. So those are not second initiated yet can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra 108 times during the tri-sandhyā. That means, morning, noon and evening:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!
(108 times)

About 6 to 7 minutes or less time it takes to chant this. So, chanting Gāyatrī also takes about the same amount of time. So this is one instruction, everyone should chant 108 times the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra at the tri-sandhyās. Now, the devotees who take initiation promise to chant 16 rounds, you could include this in your 16 rounds. Of course, it is minimum 16 rounds, if you want to chant more, there is no problem! Now, all the time keep thinking how you can increase your devotion and devotional services. Now, Śrīla Prabhupāda has translated the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Caitanya-caritāmṛta, etc. – these books should be studied. You should know the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda wanted his devotees to know the science and for the proof of that you have to get the degrees. I personally got the Bhakti-śāstrī degree from Śrīla Prabhupāda. After that, I studied and gave examinations and got my Bhakti-vaibhava, Bhakti-vedānta and Bhakti-Sārvabhauma degrees. Someone wrote to me that they are instituting a children’s program so that children before they reach the age of 18, get the Bhakti-śāstrī and Bhakti-vaibhava degrees. So, that is a great advancement!

Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda had told me that you should expand the preaching UNLIMITEDLY, UNLIMITEDLY! And all my disciples have promised me they will help me. So, I feel that if every disciple will make a new devotee, that will help me greatly. So what is your commitment? You don’t have to be my disciple, in one year how many people will you get to start chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra? Every month, how many? Make a commitment – I will get one person, ten people, hundred people to start chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. How many people will start to practice devotional service and do their sādhanas completely? So like this, devotees should make a commitment how many people they will introduce. Kali-yuga people are quarrelsome, lazy, unfortunate – so many difficulties! Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults! The only hope is the Harināma! ONLY HOPE!

Harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Cc. Ādi 17.21]

Translation: Harināma, Harināma, Harināma – in this Age of Kali the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, chanting of the holy names of the Lord, chanting of the holy names of the Lord, is the only way, there is no other way, no other way, no other way.

People are suffering. Please help them!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

So it is very important that we get people to chant. We have two kinds of gurus – dīkṣā-guru and śikṣā-guru. The dīkṣā-guru could be one, there can be many śikṣā-gurus, instructing spiritual masters. Someone wrote to me asking whether he can accept one person as my śikṣā-guru. As a dīkṣā-guru, I am also a śikṣā-guru. Our Founder-Ācārya is the foundational pre-eminent śikṣā-guru of all the devotees. Apart from that, every devotee receives various relevant instructions for their advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So, you don’t have to ask me – you have to have śikṣā-gurus. Who is guiding you, who is giving you various instructions, you should tell their names, you should accept different instructions from them and different guidance from them. And those who are acting as your śikṣā-gurus, you should respect them and also reciprocate in a Vaiṣṇava way with them as well. So two kinds of śikṣā-gurus are there – those who are very advanced and those who are giving relevant knowledge. So, I would like all my disciples to tell me who their 3 to 5 śikṣā-gurus are, apart from me and Śrīla Prabhupāda. Like, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s father and śikṣā-guru and father. Even though, he could have been his dīkṣā-guru, out of etiquette he did not do so. That was the etiquette that the parent should not be the dīkṣā-guru. So, if your parents are devotees, they may be your śikṣā-gurus. Temple president, Nāma-haṭṭa leaders, Gītā course leaders, they can be śikṣā-gurus. Who knows, whoever is guiding you in your spiritual life! I try to guide everyone but I have so many disciples, there are many questions. You can take advice from other people but they should not speak against or give instructions against my instructions. In ISKCON we have not established the culture of śikṣā-guru, I want to establish this.

How many of you are gṛhasthas? Many! So, the brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs, they are basically maintained by the āśrama. Maybe the vānaprasthas, some of them are maintained by their families. But gṛhasthas are financially independent. Now, you have to be clear with Kṛṣṇa, just as Śrīla Prabhupāda said to take initiation you have to chant 16 rounds, how much the gṛhastha should dedicate his service to Kṛṣṇa has to be also assigned. Those who are having jobs, in Kali-yuga many people have a job. Like even, professors, doctors, lawyers, politicians, everybody has a salary. So by varnāśrama system, they are all śūdras. But with our Kṛṣṇa conscious daiva-varṇāśrama, we don’t see all that. We want everybody to be a Vaiṣṇava according to Lord Caitanya. But say one is getting a lakh of rupees as his salary every month. My proposal is that everyone should give at least 11% to Kṛṣṇa. So they can decide how they will spend their money. Monthly or every three months or six months or yearly, they can contribute. But if they contribute something, the gṛhastha devotees’ work becomes purified. Now Śrīla Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmī were previously the prime minister and finance minister of the government. And in various scriptures it is mentioned that people were lining up to take their donations. But when everything was properly processed, they gave 50% to Kṛṣṇa’s service, 25% was given to family members and 25% they kept for any emergency purpose. Now the business people, farmers, businessmen, they are different, they don’t receive a salary. So, we see like Kholaveca Śrīdhara, he was a farmer and sold banana products. Now, this type of business is not very profitable in Bengal because everyone has banana trees! He gave 50% of his profit to Kṛṣṇa. And this way, he was very poor. But, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to go to him every day! Haribol! Gaurāṅga! Therefore, at least you give 11% and if you can give 50% that is very good! Anyway, that you can deliberate. You have a relationship – it is between you and Kṛṣṇa. There is another proposal – those devotees who work in ISKCON get a minimum maintenance. This way they will also consider according to their situation.

So in bhakti-yoga we are all bhakti yogīs and bhakti-yoginīs. So you have to take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness or bhakti-yoga on a war footing! I have limited time but have many things to say. So, we want people to be very serious and declare a war on Māyā! We want to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and we want to practice bhakti-yoga! We want to give the Yamadūtas a vacation! So, we want to serve our Founder-Ācārya! We want to fulfill his desires! Some of his desires are mentioned here. To make the Temple of Vedic Planetarium in Māyāpur. To make the Science Museum of Vedic Planetarium in Māyāpur. So Māyāpur Master Plan was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire. Now the birthplace of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in Birnagar, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda wanted that some important development takes place there. And if you have any new ideas how we can expand the preaching mission, please come forward and express what you have to say. We want to also distribute the books in ISKCON. I talked about reading the books, but we also want to distribute the books. We want to serve the GBC body, it was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s idea, it was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s idea. And please stay in ISKCON. Śrīla Prabhupāda, five days before his disappearance made the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust. So, this is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire. In the BSCT there are some ISKCON members and some Gauḍīya Maṭha members and we are trying to work unitedly. There is the Sārasvata Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Association. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda desired that all the disciples in the sampradāya unite.

This way, every day I think how my disciples will get delivered. I send fortnightly daily messages on the Jayapatākā Swami App. I received last year, 20,777emails. 99% I replied! But don’t think that you are bothering me by sending an email! That is my responsibility. Apart from that, whoever is your śikṣā-guru, if you get instructions from them that is also good. But if you do not get an answer from your śikṣā-guru or if you still have some doubts, then write to me. Don’t think that I will be bothered if you write to me. If you fall into Māyā, then I become disturbed. I am very grateful to all the devotees who are assisting me to fulfill the desires of Śrīla Prabhupāda and taking forward the movement of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, thank you for your support! All the services you are offering to the temple, Nāma-haṭṭa, Bhakti-vṛkṣa, Gītā course, I consider that you are directly serving and assisting me! There are some details how the gṛhasthas, how much they should give, whom they should give, for what they should give – so all these are being considered by the CDM – Congregational Development Ministry. In short, temple service, service to guru, service to Nāma-haṭṭa, service to Śrīla Prabhupāda, service to spiritual master, this is the right path you are following.

We know that there is a war going on in the Middle East. There are many devotees in the GCC countries. So, we would like you all to pray for them that the devotees may be protected from all these difficulties. I am praying, but all your prayers also make a difference. So I am sorry if I spoke a little long! I covered many points. I hope that you will be able to remember them. Remember, you are bhakti-yogīs and yoginīs! And we want to conquer this material world by chanting the holy name!

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare!

Thank you very much!